Hotspot 3

Individuals are able to walk from what was once Ackerman turnaround to the Court of Sciences by taking a pathway that has Engineering IV and Boelter Hall on one side and Parking Structure 9 and CNSI (California Nanosystems Institute) on the other. This hotspot is also located near a construction site, and even has a sign addressing loading zone areas. The main path that goes straight through seems to get fairly heavy foot traffic as students go to and from class, although there are a few smaller paths/alleys that branch off to the sides that do not seem to be getting as

much use, comparably. We were unable to locate any directional signs that might indicate where one is on campus, but there are several signs located about for safety purposes (fuel valves, etc.). A few cars and trucks seem to drive by every once in a while. The surrounding buildings are fairly well-maintained and the path appears to be even. A few cameras can be spotted on corners of buildings, and street lights are placed incrementally along the main path. Compared to other hotspots, this area actually has several positive attributes. First of all, the main path seems to be consistently populated during the day. Students are constantly using this to get to and from South Campus, and there is a lab that can be accessed through this path that almost always has students working inside. In addition, the main path has surveillance (although how well these actually work is still debatable) and is well lit. Were an attack to occur, it would be feasible to escape down the path either to campus or onto the main street (Westwood Boulevard). Unfortunately, several negative aspects exist that legitimize our calling it a “hotspot.” This pathway has its dangers, especially for people who are unfamiliar with the area. Once again, this hotspot has no signs or maps that indicate location, and for people who do not frequent this area, it would be difficult to discern which direction to walk in if you want to get somewhere in particular. In fact, someone did actually have to ask our group how to get to one of the engineering buildings from the pathway. Without such locational signs, it could be very easy to take a wrong turn down one of the side paths and end up either at a dead end or somewhere else equally confusing. This is especially problematic if this were to happen while being pursued or attacked. Formal surveillance exists, though only in the form of video cameras (no emergency blue lights). Informal surveillance exists during the day when large amounts of people are constantly milling about. It is a different story at night, as this main path and its side paths are essentially deserted. Even the windows that surround the area are at inconvenient angles to actually serve a purpose in informal surveillance. Also, the high walls of surrounding buildings and the fact that this area is sunken relative to other locations makes this a very isolated spot that could be daunting when dark and empty.